How To… Get Your Dainty Paws On Those New “Made in China” Silky Drawers. 在哪里买得到新“中国创造”的标签呢?

With China’s flow of new designers coming into view, there must be more to fashion shopping than mere labels and leggings. Where do we shop that new “Made in China” swift ‘n savvy style; aside from your designer studio, that is. In sways Shanghai-based multibrand store The Covetry.

‘Cause a girl’s gotta shop. Beijing’s clothing markets, the Dongliang showrooms, Hong Kong’s Green Ladies, random vintage markets, good ole H&M; all have their individual flow of followers who regularly pass by to stock up on ensembles. Taken together, one can do some serious China shopping. Do the followings just reach for that trusted Zara sweater or do they sometimes unleash their inner agent provocateur in search of that new China fashion scene? The question remains… The New “Made In China”: Myth or Mode?

Certain people will get some kind of high from addictive behavior such as shopping, meaning that endorphins and dopamine, your brain’s natural opiate receptor sites, get switched on (Google’s my BFF). Yes, surely certain people are bona fide shopaholics. The term “shopaholic” first appeared in fine print in 1983 and to this day remains a playful way to suggest somebody is a, mmm, shall we say “devotee” to the activity of shopping. Others may very well consider it their cardio (enter: my hit TV-show rip-off). Be that as it may, it’s fun. Full stop. Casually roaming the streets of your favorite city, spotting that paradisiac secondhand yet-to-be-taken-in 70s summer dress, throw in a drop of latte and… Oooh, be still, my beating heart! (Please let the record show that I am a devotee, not an addict. And with my bank balance, window shopping is Queen.) Moving on, then.

To China. With Chinese consumers traveling to Seoul and Tokyo to get their brand fashion fix, all the while resuscitating another nation’s flatlining consumer spending in a very generous act of mode mercy, China’s luxury (and average Western brands) market dwindles. China’s young and restless wealthy venturing out into designer athleisure wearterritory only adds fuel to the “fashion-fail” fire. With the nation’s flow of new designers coming into view, there must be more to fashion shopping than mere labels and leggings. Where do we shop that new “Made in China” swift ‘n savvy style; aside from your designer studio, that is. In sways Shanghai-based multibrand store The Covetry.

Inspired by creating a hub where design philosophies can be shared and trends are born, three designers huddled together and decided to unite and realize their unique dream: The Covetry was born.

The Covetry was founded by three designers — Rinnie, Joanna and Zac — as a place to share a mutual passion for fashion, art and travel. Inspired by creating a hub where design philosophies can be shared and trends are sprouting, the three decided to unite and realize their unique dream. Offering up a curated mix of original, exclusive and trendy creations of emerging and established designers from around the world, The Covetry caters to the fashion-savvy, style-conscious, internationally-minded consumer who appreciates the art of being original. The store also aims to supply promising talents with a platform that allows for them to develop and showcase their body of work, as well as receive that essential support in the commercialization of their brand on an industry-wide scale.

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“The point is that each of our indie and emerging designers takes pride in their creations and works. Every piece is meant to transcend in terms of season and time.” Founding Mother Rinnie.

Many designers The Covetry works with are very creative and careful in their material selections. Madame Pure by Elena Loesch, for example, has created a range of pieces made from Bamboo fibers. OBA Asia showcases a collection of singlets, dresses and outerwear produced from vegetable-dyed silk and organza. Shokay, known for their emblematic yak (“shokay” is Tibetan for “yak”) yarn, features a full range of summer and winter knitwear and hand-woven collections. Mozaik, Rinnie’s line of luxurious, affordable handbags and clutches, launched its Nina Woven Pandan Leaves collections for which every single satchel was hand-dyed and handcrafted by a women cooperative organization. The Covetry cusp is that each of its featured indie and emerging designers takes pride in their creations and works. Every piece is meant to transcend in terms of season and time. There is no fast fashion to be found, just a resonance to being socially and ecologically sustainable.

Once a myth, three times a mode. The new “Made in China” has never been a myth, but always a mode. The Chinese fashion creative hub has become highly skillful thanks to the last few decades of development. “Made in China” is now getting on par with its counterparts in the West. On that note, The Covetry founder Rinnie dishes the very necessary deets on some of her personal picks. One worth to remember is Arete Studio. The womenswear brand employs high-quality fabrics, top-notch talent and five-star machinery, with all lines are produced in Shanghai because of its local sowing talent. Aside from Arete, Rinnie has been a long-time devotee of Helen Lee, adding: “I think the cool thing about Helen Lee is always about how bold and different her collections are. She designs her own fabric, which you won’t find elsewhere. She is consistent in her approach and quality.” As is The Covetry, where we can get our fashion filthy paws on those socio- and eco-sustainable silky drawers.

As we watchfully walk that fine line between customary client and full-blown fashion addict, I leave you with a few words of TV wisdom: Whoever said money didn’t buy happiness, simply didn’t know where to shop.

Published by Elsbeth van Paridon

I, Elsbeth van Paridon, am a Sinologist and run-of-the-mill fashion aficionada. After tackling Beijing for some six years and living in Hong Kong for a bit, I currently find myself in the Europe-based throes and woes of the dragon that is a degree in Journalism.
我，伊丽莎白，是一名汉学家和时尚爱好者。在北京努力地生活了六年之后，我短暂地转战到了香港，现在返回了欧洲的我正在攻读新闻学学位的征程上努力奋斗着。
Perpetually in pursuit of the greater good that is “China Fashion”, I set up Temper Magazine to help promote the dynamite dynamic fashion scene sprouting within Beijing, Shanghai and China overall. Catering to anybody and everybody who reads English and/or Chinese, Temper Magazine covers all the basics and bases. From China's street style scenery to its budding photographers and internationally renowned designers: We present one hot-hip-happening current collective weaving The New "Made in China" tag.
我创建的双语时尚杂志Temper Magazine，宣传介绍在北京、上海及全中国的有关中国时尚的最新前沿动态，关注并深度挖掘“中国时尚”内涵。迎合中外读者，涵盖时尚基础。从街头风格，到新秀摄影师，到国际知名设计师：Temper Magazine迅速捕捉并记录着这场炙手可热的新“中国制造”风潮。
The term “Made in China” is undergoing the ultimate 21st Century makeover. Escorted by the increasingly strong influence of a new thinking among China’s younger generations, regarding individuality and the expression thereof, the fashion scene in the Middle Kingdom is exploding. And stretches far beyond what meets the eye. It’s appliqué, one might say.
“中国制造”的定义正在经历着一场21世纪终极改造。在中国年轻一代人的个性风格及表达的强烈影响下，中国时尚界引发的这场时尚大爆炸，触及社会的各个层面，其深度、规模及影响力早已超出了我们的所见范围。
View all posts by Elsbeth van Paridon

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About Temper Magazine／关于Temper杂志

From Beijing to Shanghai and every corner of the Mainland, China’s fashion scene is a phenomenon that deserves to be explored by the global design and fashion world. In order to capture a real sense of this colorful and inspiring new landscape, Temper Magazine looks into the art of clothing in contemporary China.

We collect the latest in menswear design, women’s clothing, designer newbies, established names, changes in the street scenery and budding photographers. Explore 21st Century China through a fashion focused lens and enjoy the ongoing change and innovation within the everyday whirlwind that is China Fashion Design.

About TEMPER Magazine／关于Temper杂志

From Beijing to Shanghai and every corner of the Mainland, China’s fashion scene is a phenomenon that deserves to be explored by the global design and fashion world. In order to capture a real sense of this colorful and inspiring new landscape, Temper Magazine looks into the art of clothing in contemporary China.
从北京到乌鲁木齐,现代中国的时装舞台是全球设计师和时装领城必须探索的一种现象. 为了真正的反映这个鼓舞人心的新景观,Temper杂志调查当代中国的服装艺术.
We collect the latest in menswear design, women’s clothing, designer newbies, established names, changes in the street scenery and budding photographers.
Explore 21st Century China through a fashion focused lens and enjoy the ongoing change and innovation within the everyday whirlwind that is China Fashion Design.
我们这边收集男装设计,女装设计,知名品牌,时尚达人和(刚起步的)摄影师中最流行的趋势.从中国制造到中国创造!